Eagles Rule Out 3 Starters Ahead Of Matchup With Giants on Christmas

As the Philadelphia Eagles put in the work to end their three game losing streak, the team has officially ruled out three starters for their upcoming game versus the New York Giants on Christmas Day.

When the Eagles wear their alternate black uniform against their NFC East Rivals on Monday Afternoon, Philadelphia will be on the field without Linebacker Zach Cunningham, Left Guard Landon Dickerson, and Cornerback Darius Slay.  The Eagles Injury Report released on Saturday afternoon also lists Linebacker Nicholas Morrow as Questionable for the game versus the Giants.

Zach Cunningham will miss his second straight game with a Knee Injury.  After playing in the first 11 games for the Eagles this season and compiling 47 Solo Tackles, the 29 year old Linebacker will now miss his 3rd game in the month of December.  There is speculation that Cunningham's Knee injury may have occurred because he was not 100 percent when he returned from a Hamstring Injury that he sustained against the Buffalo Bills.

There is no surprise that Landon Dickerson will not play on Monday after having Thumb Surgery a few days ago.  Starting 44 games over the last three seasons, Dickerson has been a reliable starter at Left Guard and he will be missed on Christmas Day.  The expectation is that Sua Opeta will get the start in place of the injured Dickerson; Opeta has started five games this season, mostly getting game action at Right Guard when Cam Jurgens missed playing time this year.

Christmas Day will be the second game that Darius Slay will miss this season after he underwent Knee Surgery a couple weeks ago.  Eagles Head Coach has said the team will not put Slay on Injured Reserve because they expect him to return to the field before the playoffs.  Without the five time Pro Bowl selection, the Eagles played both Rookie Kelee Ringo and Undrafted Free Agent Eli Ricks at Cornerback against the Seahawks.

The Eagles are hoping Nicholas Morrow will be available for Monday afternoon since they will already be without Zach Cunningham at Linebacker.  Morrow is dealing with an Abdominal Issue that has kept him out of practice all week.  The Eagles currently only have two healthy Linebackers: Shaq Leonard was was signed to the roster a couple weeks ago and Special Team Contributor Ben Van Sumeren.

The good news is the Eagles will welcome back Cam Jurgens who missed last week's game with a Pectoral Injury.  Speaking of that Injury, even though Avonte Maddox practiced this week, he will be unavailable to play on Christmas Day as he prepares to return from a Pectoral Tear he sustained back in September.  Wide Receiver DeVonta Smith returned to practice on Saturday and has been cleared to play on Monday after dealing with a Knee Issue this week.

The New York Giants have ruled out two players for Christmas Day: Right Tackle Evan Neal and Defensive Tackle Rakeem Nunes-Sanchez.  The 23 year old Neal has only started seven games at Right Tackle but has also played the fourth most snaps of any Giants Offensive Lineman this season.  The New York Football team has been dealing with a plethora of injuries this season and will be playing several backups when they matchup the Eagles on Monday afternoon.

The Giants are listing Defensive Tackles Dexter Lawrence and A'Shawn Robinson as Question for their upcoming game versus the Eagles.  Lawrence is dealing with a Hamstring Issue while Robinson has practiced in a Limited capacity thanks to his back Problems.  These two Defensive Tackles have played the most snaps for the Giants defense of any players at their position this season.  But the Giants will have a new Kicker on Christmas Day: Former Veteran Packers Kicker Mason Crosby will be on the field instead of Cade York.